


Devil Gonna Follow Me E'er I Go

by JediFighterPilot2727



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV), wayhaught - Fandom
Genre: Comedy, F/F, F/M, Fluff, I could probably be talked into smut later on, Suspense, oh and doc and dolls too, wynonna and nicole are my brotp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-07-23 01:53:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7461957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediFighterPilot2727/pseuds/JediFighterPilot2727
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on what I think should happen in season 2! Starts right where the last episode of season 1 left off. Lots and lots and lots of Wayhaught. Lots of snarky Wynonna. Rated for language but I might up it for smut later on. Violence shouldn't be too graphic but I'll try to give a heads up. Trying to keep it true to the tone of the show as much as possible! I have some of it planned out but I'm open to suggestions and critique!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. They Say Life's a Bitch

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!!

In a time of gunslingers, Doc Holiday had been known as the fastest gunslinger in the West; which was saying something. And though Wynonna had seen his skills up close and personal on more than one occasion, she could now say that he still held the title over a hundred and 35 years later.

“You shot my sister!” Wynonna heard herself screaming at the reformed cowboy as she ran to Waverly’s side. “The good sister. To be fair, I shot my sister, my other sister; but she was evil and that’s different."

“Under normal circumstances, I would never shoot any of your kin, but Waverly seems to have been possessed by some sort of demonic entity.” Doc knelt beside her, tossing Waverly’s gun away from where it had fallen on the ground. “Otherwise I would never have -"

“Doc, just shut up and help me."

Her hands tore at the fabric of Waverly’s jeans the ripped edges of which were quickly soaking with blood.

“I believe you’ll find the wound to be through and through, it shouldn’t be more than a graze."

Indeed, Wynonna quickly found the entrance and wounds, at just the perfect angle to avoid hitting the bone.

“How did you?” She looked over at Doc in disbelief.

“Years of practice.” He stated simply, hands holding a pair of shiny handcuffs that he had no doubt pilfered from Dolls’ weapon safe.

“Hey! You can’t just cuff my sister!"

“You shot me, you bastard!” Waverly’s voice was deepened in the tone that Wynonna had seen time and again with the revenants.

Shit.

“To be fair, my lady, you were going to shoot me first.” How Doc managed to stay completely calm as he cinched the cuffs tighter was beyond her.

The thing, whatever it was that had come to inhabit Waverly’s body, roared, and she could see the glint of red around once brown eyes.

“That’s not Waverly.” She sputtered when she finally found her voice.

“No, I don’t believe it is. We should look around for whatever has cause such a change in this sweet girl."

“Right, just . . . “ She trailed off as her eyes flitted around for something, anything to explain the recent change in her sister.

“There! where that thing, that monster, chased me across the boundary to the ghost river triangle; there’s some sort of goo. Do you think she touched it?"

Doc made sure Waverly was securely restrained before sauntering over to the gooey black liquid.

He knelt down and pulled out his knife, dipping the tip of it in the substance.

“Don’t touch - it! Goddamn it, Doc!"

The antique cowboy lifted the tip to his nose and . . . sniffed it?

“This appears to be some sort of ichor."

“Well that’s a five dollar word for a two-bit cowboy."

Doc wiped his knife in the snow and slid it back in its pouch before standing.

“Two-bit? Why my dear, I am a four star cowboy at worst."

“That’s - just -stop worrying about your pride and help me help my sister."

“If she is indeed possessed by some sort of demon, I do not think there is anything that we can do for our dear Waverly.” His eyes lifted over her shoulder to study the youngest Earp who was still lying in the snow, hands bound behind her back.

Wynonna studied her younger sister for a moment, mind racing.

“Dolls, Dolls would know what to do."

“But alas, he is already hundreds of miles away, destined for some secure government facility."

Her shoulders dropped, and she felt a bit of the fight leave her.

But then it hit her, and she laughed; even as Doc looked on incredulously.

“Waverly. Waverly would know what to do. She would have some book, or newspaper article; something that would tell us how to get out of this mess."

Tears stung her eyes.

“Now is not the time to get emotional Wynonna! You need your head in the game.” She berated herself.

“What is this ‘game’ you speak of?”

Any other time, she might find the way the corner of his mustache quirked up to be endearing.

But not now.

Not when Waverly - the one person she had left - the one person who actually fucking cared - who loved her despite of -.

“Dolls, we gotta get Dolls."

Doc looked at her as if she had suddenly told him that you could buy a hamburger for a dollar . . . . They really needed to have that conversation soon.

“But you just said that he was in a high security facility guarded by -"

“I know what I said, okay?! But this is my sister! We were going to save him anyway, we’ll just have to move our timeline up a little."

Doc gave her a look.

“A lot. We need to move our time line up a lot. Come on, lets go save Dolls."

She stalked towards the side of the road where the truck was parked, only to have Doc call after her.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?"

“What?"

He gestured to where Waverly was trying to belly crawl towards the revolver that was half buried in the snow.

“Shit, right. We need to do something with her i guess.” She shook her head. “Shit."

Wynonna walked over to the discarded gun and picked it up, tucking it in the back of her pants.

“Come on babygirl, let’s get you outta here."

She grabbed Wavelry up under one arm and Doc grabbed the other.

“Looks like you get to spend some quality time with your girlfriend."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nicole Haught wanted to be anywhere but here.

Here being the Purgatory Sheriff’s department.

Her ribs hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, and her head was still reeling from the revelations from the night before. It wasn’t a shock really, she had known for a while that something weird was up with Puragtory, something that ran deeper than just ’small town crazy’, but still- hearing the whole story from Doc - THE Doc Holiday - was a little overwhelming.

Not to mention that she missed her ‘kind-of’ girlfriend. As soon as all of this calmed down, she needed to have a talk with -

“Waverly?!"

The youngest Earp was being drug through the front door of the Sheriff’s Department, her body hanging limply between Doc and Wynonna. Rivulets of blood were dripping from her pants to the floor and her hands were cuffed behind her back.

“What the hell happened, what are you doing?” Nicole ran around the desk as fast as her bruised ribs would allow to glare at Wynonnna.

“Waverly here had a little run in with a demon.” The eldest Earp explained as she and Doc brushed past Nicole and into the Black Badge office. “Feds all gone?"

“Yeah, they all left right after you did, ran outta here like bats outta hell.” She followed them into the inner office, grateful that she was actually allowed back there without the fear of being accused of treason. “What’s going on?"

“Willa was turned bad, I shot her; Dolls has been taken to a federal black ops prison; and Waverly is a demon.” Wynonna explained, dropping her sister into one of the chairs.

“Waverly is a demon?!"

“Well, possessed by a demon, we hope.” Doc clarified, tying Waverly’s legs to the chair.

“You HOPE she’s possessed by a demon?!"

“Well, it’s better than the alternative; cause then I’d have to shoot her. God, shooting both my sisters in one week. I need a drink.” Wynonna began opening all the cabinets, searching.

Nicole quickly grabbed the whiskey bottle from under the desk, holding it hostage.

“No booze for you, Wynonna, not until you tell me what’s going on."

Wynonna looked at Doc who had one hip propped up on the table near Waverly; but he only shrugged.

The eldest Earp rolled her eyes and shrugged before resigning herself to Nicole’s demands.

“Fine. I killed some demon snake thing and it left behind this black goo that Waves just HAD to touch, and then she got all red-eyed and tried to shoot us."

“She tried to shoot you?!"

“She did indeed, only I shot her first.” Doc spoke up.

“You shot her?!”

Nicole ran to the youngest Earp’s side, prying at the leg that she had seen bleeding earlier.

“What is this, repeat everything we say day?” Wynonna quipped, picking up the bottle of whiskey that Nicole had discarded on the table and taking a long swig.

At Nicole’s eye roll she softened.

“Sorry, I just - it’s been a rough day."

“Alright, Waves, let’s check you out.” Nicole knelt down to examine Waverly’s leg only to fall back when the youngest Earp snarled at her.

“Geez!” The rookie deputy threw Wynonna an incredulous look. “You weren’t kidding about the whole demon thing, huh."

“Unfortunately, no."

“So what do you need me to do?"

“You, need to watch to watch your girlfriend here, make sure she doesn’t escape and do something stupid. Oh, and make sure nobody finds her here."

“Girlfriend? I think she made it pretty clear last night that I’m not her girlfriend.” She knew it wasn’t the time or the place, but she was tired - no strike that, exhausted - and this demon business was just icing on the cake.

“Why are you talking about me like I’m not even here?” Waverly yelled from her spot in the chair.

Wynonna rolled her eyes.

"Please, Waverly adores you; honestly I don’t know how I didn’t see it before now. It’s always - ‘Nicole this’, and ‘Nicole that’ - it’s ridiculous.

“I too, can vouch for Ms. Earps undying affection for you, Officer Haught.” Doc tipped his hat in her direction.

“Yeah, yeah; you two need to have a long talk once this is over, and I need to work on my gaydar; but for now, we need to fix this.” Wynonna stomped out of the office, pulling Doc behind her.

“Where are you guys going?"

“To get Dolls."

“I thought you said he was in a federal black-ops prison?!"

“He is! But unless you know how to exorcise a demon, he’s our only hope.” Wynonna called over shoulder as she and doc left the office, door slamming behind them.

Sparing a look at demon-eyed Waverly, Nicole shook her head. This family was too fucking weird sometimes.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


	2. Lick My Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Chapters are going to be a little shorter in favor of more frequent updates.

“Are you going to tell me what exactly it is that we need from the homestead that is so important?” Doc asked from the passenger seat of Waverly’s Jeep, where he looked absolutely petrified. To be fair, Wynonna was driving entirely too fast for the dirt road they were on, but she was more worried about the fact that her baby sister was currently possessed by a demon than she was about her shocks and suspension.

“You’ll see when we get there Doc, trust me."

“Trust you like I trusted you with my heart?"

Wynonna took a deep breath.

“It was just a kiss, Doc. Besides, you left; he didn’t. You don’t get to be upset okay?"

“I came back-"

She did not need this now, on top of everything else.

“And we can discuss it later, but right now Waverly needs me. So we’re going to rescue Dolls, we’re going to drag him back to Purgatory, we’re going to exorcise this demon, and then we can get a giant bottle of whiskey, put on some Norah Jones and talk about our feelings. But until then, we are going to focus on getting that - that thing out of my baby sister. Because she is the only good thing I have left and I’ll be damned if some bitch-ass demon thinks he’s going to take her away from me. I’m the mother fucking Earp heir!"

She felt angry tears sting the back of her eyes, but she set her jaw, blinking them away.

Doc was silent, and she thought for a moment that they might make it all the way to the homestead in silence, but two miles out he spoke up.

“How exactly are we going to find Agent Dolls? I’m sure they have taken him to a hidden location."

Wynonna snorted.

“Please, you think I’ve never seen a spy show? Dolls has fancy toys, and I may have . . . borrowed a few of them. If you don’t think I slapped a tracker on his ass the moment I knew they were taking him away, you got another thing coming."

Doc’s face clouded in confusion, and she remembered that she was talking to a hundred year old cowboy who had probably never heard of much less seen James Bond.

She fished her phone out of her pocket and pulled up the tracker app before tossing the device to Doc.

His face scrunched up has he examined it.

“Is this is a map of some sort?"

“Google maps, Doc, you should really get with the 21st century."

“And this blinking dot?"

“Is Dolls."

“This is fascinating, I never knew technology could be so . . . useful."

“iPhones, not just for dick pics.” she snarked as she pulled into the homestead driveway.

“Dick pics?"

“Don’t ask, wouldn’t want you getting any ideas.”

She snatched her phone back and hopped out of the jeep before hefting the backpack she had stashed in the rear. She marched towards the barn, Peacemaker a comforting weight against her thigh. She threw open the doors and grinned when she saw her bike sitting inside.

“I knew you’d come in handy!” She squealed, allowing herself a brief moment of excitement despite the circumstances.

“Surely you do not intend on taking that . . . contraption on our trip."

“It’s not a contraption, it’s my baby, and we’re taking it."

“Where do I sit?"

“On the back, duh? Hope you dressed warmly, it’s cold out there."

She shook her head at his skeptical look and moved to the wall where she kept the helments.

“Come on,” She pulled off a half helmet and walked over to Doc, setting it on its head and tugging the strap until it was snug.

“Safety first."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nicole really needed a nap.

Or a vacation,

Or both.

A nap and then a vacation.

Or a nap on vacation.

She wasn’t picky.

Hearing your ‘kind-of’ girlfriend confess her love and then getting shot by her sister, it took a lot out of her.

And now, here she was, watching that same girlfriend hiss in anger from her spot in the chair.

Demon possession. And here she was thinking a little homophobia would be the worst thing she had to deal with in Purgatory.

Sighing, she pushed herself out of her chair, wincing at the sting in her ribs. She needed to clean Waverly’s wound, demon possession or not. She went to the first aid cabinet and pulled out some supplies, trying not to think about the last time Waverly had gotten shot. It was weird to say that those had been happier times, but it was true. Willa had been annoying, but at least Waverly had been Waverly.

She groaned, how to do this without getting herself injured was the question. Rummaging around, she found a small case marked ‘sedatives’ and pulled up a syringe. She didn’t really think that drugging her girlfriend was the best turn in their relationship, but she also didn’t think she had much choice. It wasn’t like she could hold Waverly down and clean her up at the same time, and if Waverly was in there, she didn’t really want to stitch her up with out any anesthetic.

“Sorry, Waves.” She apologized before darting the needle into the shorter girls thigh. The effect was almost instantaneous, and Waverly’s head soon lolled against the chair back. She ran a hand through the now tangled brown locks, wishing she knew a way to make things better. “We’re gonna fix this. I promise.” She didn’t usually make promises that she didn’t know for sure she could keep, but this time she made an exception.

She grabbed the rest of the first aid supplies and slid down to the floor beside Waverly’s chair so she could snip the rope that Doc had used to tie Waverly’s legs to the chair.

“Try not to kick me.” She warned her still unconscious girlfriend.

Using the scissors from the first aid kit, she cut the whole in Waverly’s pants larger to expose the wound. It was a clean shot, a great shot, and she made a mental note to get Doc to go target shooting with her - she was a pretty good shot herself, but she would always take pointers, especially from THE Doc Holliday.

Yet another wonder for her sleep deprived brain to muddle over.

She used peroxide to wash the wound out and carefully stitched the wound up like they had taught her in the academy. She had never thought that a class on field dressing would come in handy in a place like Purgatory but this place was full of surprises.

It didn’t take long to get both holes stitched up and she carefully covered them with antibiotic ointment.

“How many times do I have to tell you that stuff’s poison?” She mocked in her best Willa impersonation, glancing up quickly to make sure Waverly was still out.

“Sorry, I know she was your sister but I’m not really sorry she’s gone. She was kind of a bitch. And she shot me. And she was mean to you. No one should ever be mean to you, you’re like the sweetest person ever. I mean you made it through a long term relationship with Champ without killing him, so kudos there."

Carefully, she placed a large band-aid over each wound site, grinning at her handy work.

“I’m no plastic surgeon, so it might scar, but chicks dig scars, so it’s ok.” She was officially going crazy, talking to her knocked out girlfriend.

Nicole stretched as she got up, slowly working the kinks out of her back. God, what she wouldn’t give for a spa day right now. Maybe she could talk Waverly into visiting the big city for one once this was all over.

She bent back down slowly to clean up her mass, but on the way up, a foot made sharp contact with her face, sending her sprawling to the floor.

“Damnit, Waverly!” She cracked her jaw, rubbing the side of her temple where Waverly’s boot had made contact.  
“Or thing that possessed Waverly! I specifically asked you not to kick me."

Keeping one eye on the demon, she dug out some of the chain that she had seen Dolls put in the cabinet one day. Careful to avoid getting kicked again she looped the chain around Waverly’s legs and then up through the handcuff that were secured behind the back of the chair.

“Sorry about this, I was really hoping our first time with bondage would be a little more . . . kinky. You know with safe words and whipped cream."

She secured a padlock around the final loop, effectively securing the Waverly demon to the chair.

“But demons don’t get safe words."

Waverly growled.

“Don’t worry, once this is all cleared up we can try my handcuffs for other stuff."

After taking a moment to admire her tie up job, she went to the closet, searching for something to make them both a little more comfortable. What she found, was a stack of pillows and blankets, and she found herself wondering just how often Dolls spent the night here. She placed one of the pillows under Wavery’s neck, and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

“I,” She said, laying one of the blankets out on the floor. “am going to take a nap, and I suggest you do the same. Once Wynonna gets back with Dolls we’re going to be busy, so we need our rest."

Turns out, when Nicole hadn’t slept in almost 48 hours; she could zonk out pretty much anywhere - even with her demon girlfriend right beside her.


	3. Empire State of Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I'm not really sure I'm happy with this chapter- content I like, but the wording I'm not sure on. I played around with it for a while, but it's late and I'm tired and I wanted to get this up! Please let me know what you think! I love reviews and constructive criticism! I know I haven't been responding to reviews lately, but I thank you for all of them! they inspire me more than you know!

As it turned out, the secret black ops government prison wasn’t actually that far away. The blinking dot representing Deputy Marshall Dolls, (and subsequently Wynonna’s last hope for her sister getting exorcised), came to a stop just a few hours south of the border in New York City, New York.

Luckily, the border patrol from Canada to the US wasn’t quite as strict as say - the US / Mexico border, and Wynonna was able to get them across with a few winks and a flash of her super special secret agent badge. Which was a good thing, because getting a passport for a guy who had been legally dead for over a hundred years would have been a headache.

Once they hit the outskirts of the city, she figured they could use a hot meal and a shower, not to mention a few hours of sleep, so she tossed down a few bills for a no questions asked motel room, successfully ignoring the way the night clerk eyed up Doc.

When they got to the room, Doc clammed up at the sight of the one bed.

“I suppose I’ll be a gentleman and take the floor."

“Okay, one- who ever called you a gentleman? And two- we can both sleep in the bed, it’s big enough and I’m pretty sure we can keep ourselves from jumping each other’s bones for one night."

“Well, if you insist; I’m certainly not going to turn down the chance to catch a few bedbugs."

Wynonna eyed the dirty mattress disgustedly.

“Yeah, maybe we’ll just sleep on top of the covers."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If Wynonna thought Doc’s odd mannerisms and ancient clothing drew extra attention in Purgatory, it blended in surprisingly well on the streets of downtown New York; mainly because Wynonna demanded on putting all their guns in a bag which of corse Doc, ever the gentleman, insisted on carrying.

“You’re wearing a man purse.” She snickered.

Doc’s mustache twitched.

“It’s a satchel."

“It’s a man purse. A murse."

“What else am I supposed to carry things in?"

“I don’t know?"

Doc’s eyes glazed with confusion.

“Look, just let me laugh at you for carrying a purse, ok?"

“I am delighted that I could lend to your amusement.” His eyes twinkled mockingly as he tipped his hat to the side.

They took a cab most of the way, not wanting to draw attention with the Harley, but stopped a couple of blocks out so that they could case the area.

It was a business section of town, relatively busy for the late morning, but most people steered clear of them, save for the group of hipsters stopped and asked what thrift store Doc had found his clothes at.

And the NYPD officer who no doubt found the way that Doc was stopping every few feet to spin around and look up at the skyscrapers to be suspicious.

“Excuse me, you folks need help? You look a little lost.” The cop gestured to their odd get up.

“Oh, we’re in a new Broadway show, it’s like Hamilton but for the wild, wild West. It’s called, uh, Earp. You wouldn’t have heard of it, it’s pretty new.” Wynonna improvised.

“Right . . .” He looked skeptical.

“John here, is a method actor, so he stays in character all the time; that’s why he looks so . . . authentic.” She clapped Doc on the back.

“Much obliged to make your acquaintance, Officer.” He tipped his hat and Wynonna gave the policeman a double thumbs up.

The officer studied them for a moment, obviously trying to decide if it was worth his time to figure out what they were really up to.

“Right.” He finally spoke. “Just try not to look so damn suspicious - method acting or no. Got it?"

“Roger that, Officer.” Wynonna gave her best fake salute and the officer studied her for long moment before turning on his heel and continuing down the street.

“Whew! That went better than 95% of my run-ins with law enforcement!"

Doc eyed her suspiciously.

“Need I remind you that you _are_ law enforcement? I’m sure that showing him your badge-"

“Would have alerted all the wrong people that we’re here. And need I remind _you_ that the element of surprise is about all we have going for us."

She marched down the sidewalk, unsure if Doc was even following her until he spoke.

“Still, I think your interactions with police have gotten quite better with police over the past year."

“What, with Dolls? We’re barely cordial most days."

“That may be, but I was rather referring to your possible future sister-in-law."

“Nicole? Yeah, I guess I forgot about her. I don’t really see her as a cop though, More as . . . "

“Family?"

“I was gonna say a friend, I don’t think she and Waverly are at that stage yet. Although, if what they say about lesbians and U-hauls is true-“ The only response Doc gave her was a blank stare and she was reminded once again of the cons of telling jokes to an audience that had been underground for over a hundred years.

“You know, I was going to try and set them up on a date when all of the craziness with Willa was over.” She said to cover the dead air.

“How could possibly have not picked up on the fact that they were together?"

“Well, you know, I was preoccupied with my own stuff- as usual I guess, but I’m happy for them. Waverly deserves somebody like Nicole- steady job, polite, good with a gun, hot, and not in name only- but I coulda stopped after the first one and she already had more going for her than Champ!"

“I still do not understand how he calls himself a cowboy, in my day-"

She held up a hand, and stopped, halting them in their tracks.

“Sorry to interrupt yet another very informative rant about cowboy life in the 1800s, but I think this is it."

“What is it?"

Wynonna pointed at the map on her phone and the blinking dot that was directly in front of them.

“This is where they’re keeping Dolls."

They both looked up at the mirrored office building in front of them.

“It is a rather shiny prison.” Doc supplied unhelpfully.

“Well that’s just . . . fantastic."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Nicole . . . "

Nicole turned over in bed to see Waverly Earp smiling at her, hair still mussed from the night’s sleep.

“Hey baby,” she reached up a hand to smooth the tangles in Waverly’s brown hair. "Good morning, how’d you sleep?”

“Nicole. . . "

She buried her face in Waverly’s neck, lips pressing gentle kisses on the soft skin there.

“Do we have to get up? Can’t we just stay here?”

“Nicole . . . "

“I’ll make it worth your while . . . "

“Nicole!"

She jolted awake, suddenly very aware that she wasn’t in her bed, but rather the floor of the Black Badge Office and Waverly was not snuggled in her arms but chained to a chair.

“Waverly?” she blinked the sleep out of her eyes and struggled to her knees, the stiffness in her ribs amplified by the hours she had spent on the floor. “What-"

“I don’t know how much time I have, so just listen."

A thousand questions came to mind, but she squashed them down, determined to let Waverly speak.

“This demon inside me, I think it’s Apep."

“Apep?” Waverly gave her a long suffering look and she held up a hand in apology, pulling herself to sit at Waverly’s feet. “Sorry."

“Wynonna said that the demon she killed at the border was a giant snake, right?"

Nicole nodded numbly, she seemed to remember Wynonna saying something about a snake.

“The ancient Egyptians believed in a snake demon named Apep. Right now, he’s the only demon I can think of that matches Wynonna’s description.” Waverly’s brown eyes held a terror like Nicole had never seen, and her voice held a frantic tone when she continued.

“Nicole, you have to check my books, my research. You have to get this thing outta me."

Nicole fumbled in her pocket for the key to the padlock that was keeping Waverly chained up.

“Just let me get you outta there and we can -"

“No!”

The force behind Waverly’s words set her back on her heels.

“It’s just . . .” Waverly’s voice softened. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be in control. And this, this thing inside me wants to do horrible things to you, to Wynonna, to Doc, some guy named Jake . . . point is, you have to keep me locked up, at least until you get this demon out."

When she thought about it, that really did make sense.

“How exactly are you in control right now?"

“It’s this Hindu mind training technique that lets me separate myself out from all the demon thoughts invading my brain."

“Hindu what? How does that work?"

Waverly’s head tilted and her eyes glinted in that really endearing way that made Nicole want to kiss her.

“Normally I would be really excited and a little turned on by the the fact that you’re so interested in my knowledge of obscure ancient practices and I would love to teach you all about it, and maybe someday I can read to you from the Vedas in the original Sanskrit, but right now there’s a demon inside me that really wants to snap your head off, so if you could just save all your questions for the end, that would be great."

“Right, sorry - brain’s a little foggy; been a hectic 24 hours.” she pulled herself to her feet, a shiver a pleasure shimmying down her spine as it cracked and popped on the way up.

“Oh! Yeah! You got shot! Are you okay?"

She shook her head at Waverly’s concern.

“I’ll be better once I get this demon out of my girlfriend.” She couldn’t resist sending a wink in Waverly’s direction and the shorter girl blushed before her features dropped in a pout.

“I picked a shitty time to get demon possessed."

“Is there a good time to get demon possessed?"

It was amazing what a few hours of sleep could do for one’s sense of humor.


	4. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So full disclosure: I'm not an ancient demon expert. I've done some basic research, and I have an overactive imagination, so there you go lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love love love comments and creative criticism!!

“So let me get this straight,” Doc questioned as Wynonna drug him none too gently through the streets of New York City. “Why can we not just simply go inside and get Agent Dolls out right now?"

“Because, it’s an office building, who knows how many innocent people are in there. We can’t just go in guns blazing! I was expecting him to be in some back alley or warehouse. For this, we need a plan."

“A plan.” Doc echoed flatly.

“Yes, a plan, preferably one that doesn’t get either of us killed or seriously injured."

“Since when do you, Wynonna Earp, make plans?"

She stopped abruptly and turned to face Doc, her lips were clamped together, and her eyes were pleading.

“Since Dolls is the only chance I have of saving my sister. And I’d appreciate it if you would take this seriously."

Doc’s face sobered instantly, and they walked half a block in silence before he spoke again.

“So what exactly is the plan?"

Wynonna marched on tight lipped for a moment before stopping abruptly in front of a black door with the words “Hell’s Angels” curved across the top.

“ _This_ is the plan.”

She backed into the door and disappeared, leaving Doc to stare after her.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The bar was relatively empty given the early hour, the bouncers at the door eyed her but let her pass, and she walked to the counter where a smattering of men in leather vests were gathered.

She heard the commotion when Doc entered behind her, and she waved a hand in the air.

“He’s with me, boys."

She leaned against the bar as the bartender made his way over.

“And who exactly are you, pretty lady?"

She winked, as she felt Doc come to stand beside her.

“I’m someone who needs to talk to Charlie."

The bartender laughed, starting out as chuckle and growing into a full belly guffaw.

“Did you hear that boys? She wants to talk to Charlie!"

The rest of the bar joined in his amusement and Wynonna rolled her eyes at Doc.

“Really, I would have called ahead but this was kind of a last minute change of plans."

The bartender finally stopped laughing long enough to reply.

“What's your business with Charlie?"

“I kinda need a favor, actually."

“You barge in here asking a favor?"

“Trust me, he owes me one."

“Charlie owes you a favor?"

“He also owes me dinner - “

Doc raised an eyebrow.

“- but that’s not important. What’s important is that I need to talk to Charlie. Like, yesterday."

“I’m gonna need a name."

“Wynonna Earp.” A deep voice called out from the corner booth. “It’s been a long time."

She turned on her heel and moved towards the voice, teeth clacking as she brandished a wide smile.

“Charlie. Long time, no see."

“Well, you’re the one who left my bed in the middle of the night with two thousand dollars of my money."

“Can’t we just let bygones be bygones? Beside, you owed me for that job in De Moines."

“If I let everyone off the hook. . ."

“Please, it’s for Waverly."

“Your sister?"

Wynonna nodded, trying not to think about Waverly fighting off a demon back in Purgatory.

“Earp, you know I have soft spot for family. . . “

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important."

Charlie paused, staring at them over steepled fingers.

“Sit, Earp.” He finally said. “Tell me what you need."

“I need a diversion for a prison break."

“You should have led with prison break.” He grinned. “You know I love a challenge."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nicole had stripped out of her uniform shirt, and her tank top had pulled out of her pants where she had tucked it last night. There was an empty pot of coffee on the desk in front of her and even though she was popping pain killers as often as recommended, her entire torso hurt. She had hoped to spend the day curled up with Waverly in bed, binge watching Netflix recovering from her almost gunshot; but stupid demons had ruined her plans. She had a sinking suspicion that now that she was involved with the supernatural aspects of Purgatory, ‘stupid demons’ were going to be a much more common cause for concern.

But hey, at least she knew what was going on now, and she didn’t feel completely crazy thinking something about this town was off. So there was that.

She was glad that Waverly loved to talk about her research; even if she hadn’t really understood what the girl had been talking about before. At least it kept her from being completely in the dark about what she was reading.

When she could read it, that is.

She had spent the past six hours nose deep in a book that she didn’t understand a word of. Waverly had started off trying to help, but eventually it became too much for her to talk to Nicole _and_ avoid being completely overtaken by the demon.

Nicole had taken French the last two years of high school and minored in the language in college, mainly because she thought it would help with the transition from America to Canada that her family made in the summer between tenth and eleventh grade. That was about the extent of her foreign language experience, and other than the occasional conversation with the locals she didn’t really get much use out of it.

And ancient Egyptian books on demons were most certainly not written in French.

Luckily, Waverly had several translator apps on her Mac, which were coming in extremely handy. Still, it was a slow process - translating just enough to find out if different bits of books were relevant to their situation, and then delving in to get the details. She felt an overwhelming sense of urgency bearing down on her; Waverly was depending on her to figure this out, and there was absolutely no one to help her. Dolls was captured, Doc didn’t have a cellphone, and Wynonna wasn’t answering her calls, although she wasn’t sure the older Earp would be able to help her anyway.

“Nic?"

Her head jerked up before her brain even had time to registered the sound, eyes blinking to combat the dryness that came from hours of staring unblinking at a computer screen.

“Wave?"

“Still here.” Waverly smiled tiredly and Nicole returned it, pushing back her chair and limping over to her girlfriend.

“Drink some water."

She held the body to the smaller girls lips, waiting patiently while Waverly drank her fill.

“Fighting demons makes you thirsty I guess.” Waverly half laughed.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” She used gentle fingers to sweep Waverly’s sweat-soaked hair from her face before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

“No, but when this demon is out, we’re taking a week off."

It was Nicole’s turn to laugh, an uncontrollable chuckle that helped break away the tension of the last few hours.

“Deal."

“I’m serious, Nicole.” Waverly’s voice was earnest. “A week off. No cop stuff, no Earp stuff, no Purgatory weirdness. I don’t even think we should leave your apartment. Or maybe we should just leave Purgatory completely for a few days."

“Whatever you want, Wave. Promise."

Waverly seemed to be satisfied at that, and her face relaxed marginally.

“How’s the research going?"

“It’s . . . going. Kinda wish I had paid more attention to ancient Egyptian history in school though."

“What have you found?"

“From what I can gather, Apep is supposed to able to be defeated by Ra, the sun god. The Book of Apophis is supposed to tell us how to get the spirit out of you and contain it. I found a copy in your stash of books, but translating it is slow going. So far I’ve got something about cats? I think, but I’m not sure."

Waverly’s eyes lit up.

“Yes! Of course! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before! Cats able to sense the demon and then point him out to Ra to be destroyed."

“So what, I take you out in the sun and then bring Calamity Jane to meow at you?"

She was joking, of course, there was no way that Waverly-

“That’s actually a pretty good plan."

“Wait, what?"

“Then we have to figure out how to store the demon."

“I don’t think they make Tupperware rated for demon storage."

Waverly rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t cover up the snort of laughter.

“But seriously, I think I read something about wax figures? Like they would banish the demon to the figure and then beat it and melt it to get rid of the demon."

“Wax figures.” Waverly repeated.

“Where exactly am I going to get one of those? Does Purgatory have a Madame Tussaud’s I don’t know about?"

And okay, laughing at your own stupid joke was a little douche-y but she was running on minimal sleep and her girlfriend was a demon, give her a break.

“Gus!” Waverly blurted.

“Gus carves wax figures? That doesn’t really seem like her kind of hobby?"

“No, she has this ugly wax Santa Claus that she puts out every year."

“Alright, we have a place to put the demon, and we know we need my cat and the sun, any idea on the specifics of how to get this demon out?"

There was no answer, and she glanced up to see Waverly’s eyes once again glazed over with a ring of red and her lips twisted in a sadistic smile.

“No? No. Okay.” she placed one last kiss to Waverly’s forehead. "It’s okay, I’ll figure it out. Just hang in there Wave."

Nicole didn’t have time think about the oddness of the situation. As much as she wanted to take a moment and have a good cry about the events of the last 48 hours, she had to figure out how to get an ancient demon out of her girlfriend and into Santa Claus.


	5. She Ain't Heavy, She's My Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how i feel about this one, but I felt like this needed to happen before we got to the more exciting parts! As always, comments and critiques are welcome!

“Wynonna? What’s wrong? Have you found Dolls?"

She didn’t think she’d ever been so happy to hear her friend’s voice. If Waverly wouldn’t kill her for it, she’d give Nicole Haught a kiss when all of this was over.

“Has anyone ever told you that your accent gets really strong when you’re tired?”

“A few times.” The voice on the other end of the line drawled, and Wynonna could hear papers ruffling in the background.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to figure out how to get a demon into Santa Claus."

Out of all of the weird things that Wynonna had heard in her life - and she had spent six months in a bona fide looney bin, that definitely made the list of top five.

“Riiigghhtt. How’s my sister?"

“She’s alive, and currently not trying to kill anyone, so that’s progress. She’s pretty exhausted from fighting off this demon though; I’m not sure how much longer she can keep it up."

Wynonna groaned. Great, more pressure.

“Did you find Dolls?” Nicole repeated.

“‘Find’ is such a specific word.” She hedged, grateful when she heard the other girl chuckled. “We found the building where he’s being held, and we have a plan to get in."

“Well, that’s a start."

The silence stretched between them, and Wynonna searched for the way to say what she needed to say.

“Was there something else?"

She took a deep breath, rushing through her next words.

“Take care of my baby sister, Haught."

“What?"

“I haven’t had the chance to give you the ‘if you hurt my sister, I’ll shoot you with my big ass gun speech’. And if I ever get back to Purgatory, I’ll threaten you within an inch of your life. But right now, I’m not sure I’m going to make it back alive; and I need to know that you’ll take care of her. Not that she needs it, normally; she’s obviously done fine on her own. But I promised myself when I came back to Purgatory that for once in my life I’d be there for my sister. And now I’m asking you to take care of her if I don’t make it. She needs you to find a way to get rid of this demon, she can’t do it without you. Just promise me you’ll be there for her."

“Wyno-"

“Promise me, Haught."

“I promise."

“Whatever it takes."

“I promise.” Nicole’s voice was firm, leaving no doubt to her intentions.

“And tell her . . . tell her I love her."

“I will, I promise."

“Good.” She let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Thank you."

There was a brief silence, and she had the sinking suspicion that the conversation was about to get awkward.

“Do you have any idea how to deputize my cat as a servant of Ra?"

Leave it to Nicole to lighten the mood.

“No fricken clue, dude."

“Well, I guess I better get back to reading then."

“Yeah, I have a box to pack."

“Good luck."

“Yeah, you too."

She ended the call and took a moment to calm herself. Waverly was taken care of - at least best she could manage at the moment; and now it was time for Dolls. She was one step closer to her goal.

She straightened her gun belt and turned to see Doc staring down with disdain at his new delivery uniform.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Well, considering it’s my only idea, I’m gonna say yes.” Wynonna quipped, only to have Doc give her that look, the one that people usually gave her right before they told her something disappointing.

“It’s the only idea that I can think of that has any chance of working."

Doc remained silent.

“It has the makings of a good idea?” She tried again.

“And you would risk your life on that?"

It was Wynonna’s turn to be silent for a moment, and she took the time to think through the question.

“Waverly’s all I have.” She finally choked out. “And if I don’t make it - “ She jerked a hand across her eyes, desperate not to let the tears fall. “If I don’t make it, then at least I tried. Waverly deserves that."

Doc was silent, and any other time she might have gotten a kick out of the way his mustache twitched as he thought through his reply.

“I once swore that I would follow your great-great-grandfather to the ends of the earth. I did not keep that promise, but I swear to you this day that I will do everything in my power to help your sister."

He didn’t say the words, but she heard what was unspoken.

_‘Even if you don’t make it out.'_

She nodded, grateful for the sentiment.

“Alright, let’s go over the plan one more time. I climb in the box, you tape the box up and cart it into the building. Once you leave, Charlie and his boys will create a diversion and get the building evacuated. I’ll escape the box and go find Dolls, clearing out any leftover agents as I go. When I escape with Dolls, we’ll hop on the bike planted in the garage, and meet up with you and the van at the rendevouz point outside the city."

“Are you sure it’s wise for you to go in alone? I do not see any reason why I can not sneak in as well and help you find Agent Dolls."

“Because, one person-sized box is kind of suspicious. Two is a red flag. They’d see us coming a mile away.”

Doc paused for a moment before he seemed to accept her reasoning, and then he extended his hand.

“I wish you the best of luck, Wynonna Earp."

She paused for a brief moment before surging forward and pressing their lips together. It was a bad idea, and she knew that it would only complicate things later- _if_ there was a later- ; but she needed something to ground her, to help her focus. She was breathless as she pulled away, and she forced herself to turn and step into the box, kneeling down to make herself fit.

“Alright, here goes nothing."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Wynonna’s phone call didn’t exactly leave her with a lot of hope.

The eldest Earp was a tad dramatic at times, but she didn’t seem like the type to convey last wishes unless she felt death was particularly imminent. The thought of Wynonna captured or dead in enemy territory didn’t bode well with Nicole, and she tried not to dwell on it, focusing instead on the books in front of her.

She had it figured out.

She thought.

All of the pieces were there, she just had to put them all together.

Which wouldn’t be an easy task, considering most of the pieces were in languages she didn’t understand.

She rifled through Waverly’s purse, looking for her phone, and she quickly scrolled through the contact list before selecting Gus’ number.

“Waverly? Where are you? I’ve been trying to call Wynonna for hours."

“Gus? It’s Nicole. Uh, Officer Haught. Sorry for the confusion, I just- you see there’s a bit of situation. And you - I mean you just seemed like - "

“Nicole? Are the girls alright? Just slow down and tell me what’s going on. I’m sure it won’t be the craziest thing I’ve ever heard."

Nicole blew out a breath through pursed lips, trying to calm her suddenly frazzled nerves. Absolutely none of this was her fault, but she was still afraid of Gus’ reaction.

“Waverly touched some black goo and was possessed by a demon. She tried to shoot Wynonna, but Doc shot her first - in the leg, mind you, she’s fine; I dressed it myself. And now Wynonna and Doc are trying to rescue Agent Dolls because he’s being held by the government for who knows what - treason probably, everything around this place is treason - so I’m alone with Waverly. And she’s still possessed by the demon, but she’s kinda in and out and I’ve been doing some reading, and I THINK I have an exorcism figured out but I just need an extra set of hands. I don’t know who to trust and I - I just thought maybe you could help me."

Gus was silent, and Nicole worried that she had lost her last chance at help.

“I take it back. That is by far the craziest thing that anyone has ever told me."

Nicole felt the hope slowly seep out of her.

“Where are you at?” The older woman asked.

Her heart rate picked up, optimism once again fluttering its wings.

“The Sheriff’s department.” She breathed out gratefully.

“Give me half an hour.”

“Wait, Gus - this is gonna sound . . .odd, but uh, do you have a giant wax Santa figure?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things start to get exciting next time! We'll find out how good Wynonna is at prison breaks and what exactly Nicole has planned for Wavelry's exorcism! Stay tuned!


	6. The Great Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and critiques make my day!
> 
> Also, I probably should have worked on this a little more before I posted it but it's almost 1AM and I'm tired of looking at it.

Looking back, having Doc tape her inside a giant cardboard box probably wasn’t her brightest idea.

She was definitely too sober for this to be amusing, and she was about a foot too tall for it to be comfortable. Her leg had a terrible cramp, and the now stale air inside the box was making her claustrophobic. It didn’t help that she had absolutely no idea what waited for her on the outside. Charlie had had some of his guys pull up the blueprints for the building, so she knew what the layout was at least; but other than that, she was on her own.

There was absolutely no intel on what kind of secret government agents were in here, or what kind of super scary top secret weapons they had. Now that she thought about it, they probably should have done a little more prep work, but honestly she couldn’t think of a time where she had come up with a plan that wasn’t half cocked. She could only hope that the familiarity of having no freaking clue what she was doing would work out in her favor.

This is exactly why she needed Dolls.

He was the one that came up with the plan and provided the intel. She was the one that ran off into danger and almost got them killed. It was just the way things worked.

But she didn’t have Dolls.

She didn’t have Waverly either who was almost as into planning and preparedness as Dolls.

Which was exactly why she was in this position in the first place. The irony of the situation was not lost on her.

Ten minutes, that was how long Charlie’s team was supposed to wait between Doc leaving and staging the diversion; but it was beginning to feel like hours. The only thing that kept her remotely focused was the idea of Waverly fighting off a demon with only Nicole to help her. Not that Nicole wasn’t more than capable, but the poor girl had been informed of the supernatural aspect of Purgatory less than forty-eight hours ago, and that was a lot of responsibility to put on someone.

Finally, the screeching sound of the fire alarm interrupted her thoughts.

She could hear the stampede of office workers evacuating the building, and she waited a few more minutes before slipping on the gas mask that she had packed with her. That was the plan- they would pull the fire alarm to evacuate the civilians, wait ten minutes and then put knockout gas in the air ducts for any secret government agents still lurking around.

A deceptively simple plan.

IF it worked, and that was a big if.

Especially considering the most important and dangerous part of the plan -the part that involved finding Dolls and getting him out of the building - rested entirely on her shoulders.

She took the knife out of her pocket and stabbed it through her cardboard cage, sawing down until she created a slit large enough to reach her fingers through and pry the box apart. Luckily no one was at the front desk to witness her escape, and she quickly jogged through the lobby towards the stairwell. She wasn’t looking forward to climbing stairs, but she knew that whatever secret government agency had Dolls captive probably had cameras in the elevators.

To her credit, she didn’t start huffing and puffing until the third floor; but according to the tracker on her phone, she had at least six flights left. She was just about to contemplate taking the stupid gas mask off when a cloud of smoke whisped its way under one of the stairwell doors and she found herself grateful to be wearing it.

She was hanging on the rail, dragging herself up to the eighth floor when she had an epiphany.

How exactly was she going to get Dolls out?

If the plan was working, and she sincerely hoped that it was, then everyone left in the building should be out cold. It was only now occurring to her that that would mean Dolls would be passed out too. She had been working out lately, but dude was solid muscle - there was no way she’d be able to carry him out on her own.

Shit, shit, shit.

Oh well, she’d have to figure that out if and when she found him.

The door to the ninth floor looked like all the rest of them, solid grey with a silver handle. She pushed it open, beyond relieved when it swung open on the first try.

She jogged down a short hallway littered with passed out government agents before she came to another door, this one locked tight.

Fuck.

Her eyes scanned the agents around her, before she bent down and snatched up one of their name badges. Hurriedly, she swiped it through the card reader beside the door.

“Hah!!!” she cried out when the door slid back. “Take that, secret government agency!”

Dolls’ tracker was blinking steadily barely ten feet ahead of her but a quick survey of the wall in front of her showed no door.

“Where are you, you little fu- aha! Yes!” She spotted a metal gate off to the left side. "Just call me Earp, Wynonna Earp!"

Luckily, the keycard worked on the gate as well, and she slid under it as soon as it was raised high enough. There was a long hallway with nondescript doors down each side, and she chose the first one on the right, hoping that Dolls was on the other side. She crossed her fingers as she reached for the door handle, only to groan when it refused to twist.

“Damn it!”

There was no place for a key card to swipe, and no keyhole either. She pounded her fists against cold metal.

“Dolls!? Can you hear me?!"

She collapsed back against the wall, slowly feeling her spirits drop.

And to think, this ridiculous plan was going so well.

She felt angry tears sting her eyes behind the gas mask, but she shook it off. She had to figure something out. There must be a computer system somewhere that had the ability to open the doors, that was the only explanation.

“Wynonna?"

Her heart thudded in her chest at the sound of the voice calling out from the other side of the door.

“Dolls?!"

“Wynonna, what are you doing here?"

“I came to rescue you! But I can’t figure out how to get this door open."

“You know we could both be tried for treason for this, I can’t let you break me out of here."

Only Dolls would take issue with being broken out of prison.

"It’s for Waverly. She touched some kind of black goo and now she’s possessed by a demon and as much as I appreciate your devotion to the letter of the law; you’re really my only chance of saving her, so if you could just help her out I promise I’ll bring you back to prison when you’re done.

There was a moment’s pause before he yelled out.

“Step back, I’ll try to knock the door down."

She barely had time to shuffle down the hallway a few steps before a loud crash sounded and Dolls barreled through where the door had been, still dressed in his tux from Bobo’s party.

“Wow. I guess all those push-ups are good for something."

“Earp, what are you doing, are you trying to get yourself killed?"

“Uhh, I’m rescuing you. And I’m doing a pretty good job at if I do say so myself.”

“What’s up with the-“ He gestured to her face mask.

“Oh! Knockout gas. Speaking of which; why are you not, ya know, knocked out?"

Dolls regarded her as if she’d just asked him his bank password.

“Different air duct systems, I don’t know. How much time do we have?"

She glanced at her watch. It had now been twenty minutes since the fire alarm had sounded, and she was sure that fire fighters were beginning to make their way through the floors - they had to hurry.

“Not long,” She peeled off her gas mask, tossing it to the floor. “The gas is probably going to wear off soon, and first responders are on their way.”

“Did you have an exit plan? Or?"

“Yes, I did, actually. There’s a bike waiting in the garage. And it’s this way.” She took off down the hall, only to stop abruptly, Dolls slamming into her as she turned around. “I mean this way, it’s this way."

She patted his chest with her hand.

“Eww, are you okay? You’re all sweaty."

“I’m fine. Focus, Earp."

“Obviously being locked up hasn’t done anything for your grumpiness.”

She started jogging again, this time in the right direction, but ten feet from the door to the stairwell, it flung open, a line of soldiers in tactical gear filing in. They lined up along the wall, weapons trained on Wynonna and Dolls as a tall man in a green dress uniform made his way through their ranks. Dolls snapped to attention, and she felt suddenly out of place. Her heart sank to her toes, all hope of escape disappearing before her eyes.


	7. Ladybug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and critiques make my day!!

Nicole found herself wondering exactly how much caffeine a person could ingest before their heart exploded.

Her heart in particular.

She was currently on coffee refill number five, and she had successfully emptied the vending machine in the lounge of all energy drinks. She was a pretty healthy person, she figured her heart was in tip-top shape; she just worried that hour twenty-five without sleep was going to be her downfall. She had crashed for a few hours not long after Wynonna and Dolls had taken off, and before that she had been going for over thirty hours. Now that she fully understood the danger Waverly was in, she didn’t feel comfortable taking a nap.

What kind of girlfriend would that make her?

Taking a nap while her girlfriend battled a demon?

Not exactly a knight shining white Stetson.

Her breath caught in her throat. Waverly was the only person who had ever called her that and now she might not ever call her that again.

No.

She couldn’t think like that.

There was hope.

There was a plan, even.

She just had to pull it off.

She winced as she drained the last of her coffee mug, the bitter liquid having lost its scalding temperature long ago.

Heart exploding or not, she had to stay awake.

She felt about as prepared as she could get for her first time exorcism. She had found a Latin spell that claimed to call demons out of people; and Gus was on her way with what she hoped was a demon sensing cat, and a wax figure for the demon to inhabit once it came out of Waverly

There was a quiet knock on the door and Nicole rushed over as fast as she could with her bruised ribs. She opened it a slit to see Gus standing there with a cat carrier. Calamity Jane offered up a meow.

“Gus.” The word came out breathless and shaky with nerves, and if she weren’t so exhausted, she might have been embarrassed at how rattled she sounded. “You made it."

The older woman brushed past her and stepped into the black badge office, not even reacting to the sight of Waverly tied up in the chair in the corner.

“Nasty looking bruise you got there, officer.”

She glanced down at the purple bruise that peeked above her tank top.

“Oh, yeah. Willa shot me."

“Wynonna told me what happened.” Gus rummaged through the bag that she had set on the desk and pulled out a sandwich, handing it to Nicole. “And she told me what happened to Willa. Shame these girls have to go through the pain of losing their sister again."

Nicole stared dumbly down at the sandwich in her hands.

“A sandwich?"

Gus had pulled out a hair brush and moved over to kneel behind Waverly where she was currently working through thick tangles.

“Something tells me that you haven’t eaten anything in a while, and if what you've told me about our situation in true, then you’re gonna need your strength."

She bit into the ham and cheese, and as soon as she started chewing it hit her how hungry she was.

“Thank you.” She managed between bites, fingers swiping at the mustard on her cheek.

"You also might wanna freshen up, before we leave. It wouldn’t do for the whole town to see the Waverly getting drug out of the police station by her aunt and frazzled looking police officer. This town talks enough about Waverly enough as it is."

"Probably not a bad idea. I look like a cat that came out of a dryer."

Calamity Jane meowed again.

“Don’t worry, I would never put you in a dryer.”

She looked back to Gus who was pulling Waverly’s hair through a tie.

“Will you be okay for a few minutes?"

“If I could handle Wynonna as a teenager, I’m sure I can handle a demon possessed Waverly."

It was sound logic, and she slipped into the hallway, ducking into the locker room to grab fresh shirts and pair of socks before making her way to the bathroom.

Once glance in the mirror told her that sleep deprived was not her best look.

She turned the water as hot as it would go, waiting until steam rose up and fogged her image in the mirror. She splashed her face until her cheeks were tingling and then switched the water to cold, the contrast breathing life into her exhausted body. Her fingers worked quickly to redo her braid, feeling more put together with each twist.

She took off her tank top next, wincing at both the effort and the sight of the bruise on her sternum.

That was going to last a while.

Sighing, she pulled a fresh tank top over her head and drew a newly starched uniform top up her arms. She buttoned all the buttons save the top two, and once again looked in the mirror.

Better.

She couldn’t do much for the dark circles under her eyes, but at least she looked presentable.

“Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix."

She wrenched around at the sound of the foreign voice, looking for a source.

No one.

She was alone in the restroom, not a soul. Geez, maybe she did need some sleep. Or maybe she was going crazy. She braced herself on the sink, white porcelain gripped tightly with fingers that were almost just as white.

“Oh you’re not crazy, Bug."

Her head jerked up when the voice spoke again, and she jumped as she saw a shadow of a figure in the mirror.

She spun around to check the room again, only this time she wasn’t alone. There was a tall (taller than her even), woman behind her, red hair falling gracefully past her shoulders to dust her hips, white floor length dress seemingly untouched by the grime of the police bathroom. There was a crown of woven flowers perched on her head, the bright purple bulbs making the woman’s white face seem even paler, and the luminescent quality about her made the air seemed to tingle with electricity around her. Her features were lighted with a smile, and her eyes had a hauntingly familiar quality.

“What the fuck?!"

The woman’s brown eyes twinkled.

“Is that anyway to speak to your grandmother?"

As scared shitless as she was, a lifetime of good manners kicked.

“Ummm, no? Ma’am? But I don’t-"

“Listen, Ladybug, I don’t have a lot of time. It takes a lot of energy to appear like this, even in a place like Purgatory."

There was only one person who ever called her Ladybug - her Gram, but she had died not long after Nicole’s fourteenth birthday. The woman sort of looked like her Gram, maybe, if she were about thirty or so; and the voice was familiar, lilting and sweet, as if it had sang a thousand lullabies.

“Gram?"

Those familiar eyes softened, and she felt her tired brain simultaneously accepting and rejecting what was happening in front of her.

“I know this is a lot to take in, and I wish - oh I wish - I had time to explain, but I’m running out of time, and so is your sweet girlfriend."

“I don’t -"

“Listen, Ladybug. The most important thing is that when the time comes, you take off the ring."

Her fingers unconsciously twisted the green ring on her right hand.

“But you said to never take it off, not even-"

“I know what I said, Bug, but things are different now. This town is different. This girl is different."

Nicole nodded and blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she was once again staring at herself in the mirror, tired brown eyes gazing back at her.

“Wha-“ She twisted all around to check, but the room was once again empty.

Caffeine may not have stopped her heart yet, but it had definitely fried her brain.


	8. Prison Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna and Dolls face off against a mysterious new enemy.

"Come on, Dolls, no need to salute; you’re not even in the service anymore.” The man in the uniform waved his hand, and the soldiers lowered their guns and moved to check the bodies scattered on the floor.

“You’re still the superior officer.”

“Please, we both know that you’d outrank me if you hadn’t moved to Black Badge."

Wynonna looked between them, confused as to what exactly what was going on. “Is there something I missed?"

“I’m Lieutenant Colonel Heath, and you must be Wynonna Earp. I’ve read a lot of reports about you."

“Funny, Dolls hasn’t mentioned you."

“Small oversight, I’m sure. It’s not usually good form to talk about your exes with the new girlfriend."

“I’m not his girlfriend!” she exclaimed before her brain completely caught up to what he had said. “Wait, you guys used to be a thing?"

The Lt. Colonel rolled his eyes, before calling out to one of his men.

“Sergeant! Lock these two back up in a holding cell while I look things over. I need to figure out the damage.”

“Roger that, Colonel.” A tall man with a knife as long as her forearm strapped to his belt came over, waving his automatic pistol between them.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

“We won’t cause any trouble.” as Dolls said it, he glared at her as if half begging, half ordering her not to try anything.

She held up her hands in defeat.

“Fine, I’ll play nice.” She followed Dolls back down the hallway they had just came from, trying not to think of how tempting it was to turn around and roundhouse kick Mr. Black Ops right in the balls. It would be satisfying, no doubt, but it probably wouldn’t get them very far. She still had Peacemaker for some odd reason, and she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut about that; but Dolls was weaponless, and that didn’t leave them with very good odds.

_Stay alive. Stay alive for Waverly._

Her internal mantra kept her silent until the were safely locked in the room across from where she had rescued Dolls.

She still hadn’t seen how they opened the damn door.

They were alone; although she was just as sure that there was a camera in here somewhere watching them as she was that Mr. Black Ops was stationed right outside the door, no doubt anxious to use his shiny gun.

She slumped in one of the chairs, arms across her chest, eyes searching for something, anything to help them out. Dolls stood across the room, glaring at the wall; and if she didn’t know better she would think he was trying to will his eyes to turn into laser beams and melt a hole in the metal.

"So you and the Colonel out there, huh?"

“Maybe, you could focus a little less on my love life and more on getting us out of here alive.” Dolls was still at attention, his back ramrod straight, and she couldn’t help but feel a little chastised.

But only a little.

“Alive? Are they gonna kill us?"

“No, we’ll get a fair trial. For treason. Which is -"

“Punishable by death, I know. So your ex? lover is gonna have us executed? What kind of relationship is that? Hate each other one minute, love each other the next."

“That’s exactly the kind of relationship we have, Earp."

“Yeah, but I thought I was special.” She pouted, and Dolls turned, a hint of a smile twisting the edges of his lips.

“Jealous, Earp?"

“Jealous? Of Colonel-I-Eat-Traitors-For-Breakfast? Pffft. No."

He pulled out the seat next to her, his broad shoulders brushing hers.

“Thanks, for trying to rescue me, by the way."

“Yeah, well, don’t get too excited; I did it for Waverly. Not ‘cause I like you or anything.” She leaned over to bump into his shoulder playfully.

“How is she?"

Wynonna swallowed the lump rising in her throat.

“Nicole says it’s touch and go. She’s got some sort of crazy plan though, so fingers crossed."

“You left her with Haught?"

“Yeah, you know, limited options."

His face was thoughtful, far away.

“No, that’s good, Haught’s good."

She wanted to ask him about what exactly he was thinking, but the door to their cell swooshed upward and Lieutenant Colonel Heath marched in.

“Well, you’ve certainly made a mess of things.” He glared at her from under the brim of his hat and she bit her tongue to stop a snarky retort from snapping out. “It’s clean though, no casualties or major damage to the infrastructure. We can work with that."

“We can work with that? What does that mean."

“It means we’ll release a press statement saying that there was a small fire, the building was a evacuated, no harm, no foul, et. cetera, et cetera. You-“ He pointed a finger in Wynonna’s direction. “Were never here, you don’t even know this place exists. And you -“ He shifted his focus to Dolls. “Stayed put like a good agent and did not even think of trying to escape before I showed up to release you."

“You’re releasing me?” For once, Dolls sounded just as uninformed as she was. She wasn’t sure if she was happy about that.

“As you know, Black Badge is a cross-border task force that relies on strict interdepartmental management in order to maintain its top secret status. I’m one of several officers from the US Army assigned to keep watch over Black Badge business. When Agent Lucado's order to exterminate Purgatory came across my desk, I was worried that she might be fudging the results of your investigation for ulterior motives."

“She bombed Purgatory?!” She was halfway out of her chair before she could even think, Dolls arms wrapping around her waist to drag her back down. "She cant do that!"

“She cant, and she didn’t. I cancelled the order before it could get any where. I had suspicions that she was trying to get back at Agent Dolls for what happened in Kandahar, and the unit sent to search her office found correspondence that confirmed it. Agent Lucado will be facing quite a bit of time in prison, as well a dishonorable discharge from Black Badge. As for the charges she tried to bring against you, Agent Dolls, a preliminary investigation into your methods showed that you used exceptional judgment, and considering the circumstances, you solved what could have been a mass casualty incident with surprisingly little civilian injury."

“What does all this mean?” Wynonna’s sleep deprived brain was trying to keep up.

“It means just what I said, you’re going to pretend like you were never here, Dolls is going head back to Purgatory soon after, and in a few months when someone shows up to award you guys some fancy medal or award, you’re going to act gracious and surprised."

"You mean you’re just letting us go?” Part of screamed that she shouldn’t ask questions and get the hell out, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"You sound disappointed.” The Colonel smirked, and Wynonna thought maybe the guy wasn’t so bad after all.

"Well, no I just - I had this big escape plan all mapped out and now you’re kinda ruining it."

He looked at her in disbelief.

"It’s just, planning’s not really my thing, so I’m pretty proud of this one."

He looked to Dolls.

“Is she for real?"

“Unfortunately, yes."

“Well, Agent Earp, I assume you can find your way home.” He gestured to the door behind him and she hesitated.

“Actually, I really hate to press my luck, but I need Dolls to come with me."

“I’ll release him, you have my word. He’ll be home in a few days."

She started to respond, but Dolls interrupted her.

“Nate, there’s actually a . . . situation that needs my attention, It’s a little time sensitive, that’s why Wynonna was in such a rush to get me out of here."

“A situation, huh?”

Wynonna glanced between the two men, nervously.

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important."

They stared each other down for a moment before the Colonel seemed to crack.

“Fine, you can both leave. I’ll fax the necessary paperwork over the secure line tomorrow. Sergeant Smith has a package for you that should be enough supply to hold you over until the official shipment comes through."

“Supply of what?"

“Wynonna,” Dolls’ voice was low and threatening. “Don’t ask questions, we need to get to Waverly."

She really wanted to know what was going on with Dolls, but not as much as she wanted to see her baby sister alive.

“Right, it’s classified I’m sure.” She turned to the Colonel who was still eyeing her like he didn’t quite trust her. “Thank you, for helping us out."

“Well, that’s one less thing I owe Xavier now, I suppose.” He smiled.

Yep, she definitely liked this guy.

They headed back out into the hall, Dolls stopping to pick up a small black briefcase from one of the soldiers.

“Please tell me you have transportation out of here.” He whispered in her ear as they entered the stairwell.

“Of course I have a ride! Do I look like the type of person to go off into a plan all half cocked?"

He gave her a look.

“The answer is yes, I’m exactly that type of person. But not today, today I have a plan."

“I’m becoming more impressed by the minute."

“You should be, took a lot of work to save your ass."

“Thanks again for that."

“Oh yeah, yeah, don’t get all sappy on me. Now come on, let’s get outta here.” She pushed open the door to the parking garage and tossed him the spare bike helmet.

“I’m not riding on the back."

“Well, you’re certainly not riding on the front, that’s just dangerous."

His only response was to glare at her.

God, she’d missed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and critiques are greatly appreciated!


	9. The Exorcism of Waverly Earp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclaimer, I found this spell on the internet. Don’t play with demons at home, kids.
> 
> Source (just in case you have a demon that needs exorcising.):  
>  wiccanspells.info/exorcism-spell-latin-prayer-incantation/

Nicole rushed back to the Black Badge office, shaking the strange visions from her head.

Sleep.

Sleep and Waverly, that’s what she needed.

She was tired and sore and now she could add hallucinating to her list of problems.

She burst through the door, and Gus looked up from where she had been studying one of Dolls’ maps mounted on the wall.

“You okay, kid? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

“No, I’m good, just tired.”

_At least I hope I’m just tired._

She twisted nervously at the ring on her right hand before noticing that Gus was still staring at her.

“I’m fine, really, just a rough day."

Gus turned back to the map on the wall, and the rookie officer quickly grabbed her boots from the corner and propped up against the wall before tugging on first the fresh socks and then her boots.

“Is this a map of the homestead?"

“I seem to remember deputy Dolls requesting some geological surveys of the homestead a few months back."

“Whats this red line?” Gus pointed to a red line just inside the Earp property margin.

Nicole leaned over to examine the map. She definitely hadn’t noticed that the first time.

“Not sure, haven’t seen anything like that before. "

“Supernatural barrier.” She could barely hear Waverly’s hoarse whisper and she immediately knelt down beside her girlfriend.

“What was that?"

“Special bedrock - keeps the demons out."

“Demons can’t cross the line?"

“No demons on Earp land. It’s the one good thing about that drafty old place."

She looked up at Gus.

“We could use that."

“What do you mean?"

“Ok, think of this - we put Waverly and the wax figure just outside the barrier; and then when the demon comes out, it can’t get to us. We pull Waverly across the line and then she’s safe too."

“I don’t really have any experience with demons, so I can’t say for sure, but it sounds like a solid plan.” Gus offered.

Calamity Jane meowed very unhelpfully.

She looked at Waverly, out of the three of them, her girlfriend was the most qualified to speak on supernatural matters.

"It should work.” Waverly offered her a small smile and she leaned forward to press a kiss against the other girls cheek.

“It will work, it has to. "

She gathered up a stack of papers from the desk and handed them over to Gus.

“This should be everything we need.”

“Well, might as well get started then, we can take my truck - less suspicious, and we wont have to move Santa over to your cruiser."

Nicole nodded and pulled out the key to Waverly’s chains.

“Just try to keep it together until we get outta here, Wave.”

She quickly undid the chains and pulled the shorter girl to her feet, looping an arm around her waist to keep her upright.

She looked up to see Gus watching them, a sad smile on her face. The older woman picked up the chains she had discarded and arranged them in her purse. Nicole’s eyes widened.

“What all do you have in there?"

“Well, I’d tell ya, but I’d have to kill ya. And I don’t think Waverly would appreciate that much."

Gus reached out and patted her cheek before grabbing Calamity Jane’s cat carrier and opening the office door.

They followed Gus out into the main police department and Nicole’s hopes of escaping without anyone noticing were quickly dashed.

“Waverly? I didn’t know you were here!” Nedley gestured between the two of them. “Maybe you can talk some sense into your girlfriend, get her to go home and rest. I don’t know what she thinks is so important, but everybody is back in fighting shape after the champagne incident. She needs to take the night off and rest. Hell, she can have the whole week off if you can convince her."

Nicole’s arm tightened around Waverly’s waist, trying to provide at least a modicum of comfort.

“That’s actually just where we were headed, Sheriff. Gus here was kind enough to come drive us home."

“Ah, Mrs. McCready; I would say it was a shame not to see you at the party, but I guess that ended up being for the best.” He wiggled his fingers in the spaces of Calamity Jane’s cage. Surprisingly, she nuzzled into his fingers, purring softly.

Well, she’d definitely never seen that before. To think, her man hating cat had a soft spot for the Sheriff.

“I’ll let you ladies be on your way; Haught, let me know if you need anything."

“Thank you, sir."

She pulled Waverly out the door and waited for Gus to open the back door of the truck.

“Alright, Wave let’s get you in here.” She lifted Waverly up into the seat and waited for her to scoot down before climbing in herself.

The ride to the Homestead was mercifully short, although it probably just seemed that way because she couldn’t keep her eyes off of Waverly - eyes searching anxiously for any sign of distress.

“Stop. Stop the car.” Waverly’s voice was soft and cracking, but it still made Gus slam on the brakes.

“Stop?”

“The line is close, I can feel it."

“Well I guess the buck stops here.” Nicole quipped, hopping out and easing Waverly down to the ground.

They walked along for a few feet until Waverly shivered. “Here."

“Here?"

“Here, it’s the strangest thing, i just can’t go any further."

Nicole was new to this whole supernatural thing, but it was already weirding her out. Champagne poisoned by zombie bad guys, a girlfriend suffering demon possession, and now a barrier that didn’t let demons pass. She was anxious for Wavelry to get back to normal and explain all of this.

“Alright, Officer - cuff her.” Gus’s voice broke through her musing.

“What?"

“Well we can’t just let her be free, what’s to stop the demon from hurting or trying to make her run away?"

“It’s okay, Nic.” Waverly promised, and Nicole’s heart twinged at how utterly exhausted the other girl looked.

“Hopefully this won’t take long.” She gently latched the cuffs on Waverly’s wrists and took the chain that Gus handed her, looping it around the chain of the cuffs and around one of the nearby fence posts.

Gus set the Santa figure next to the chained up girl, and Nicole grimaced.

“That is a creepy ass little guy, no offense."

“None taken, I only put it out every year to drive Waverly crazy - she thinks it’s tacky."

“Well, she’s not wrong.” she whispered to Calamity Jane, pulling the cat out of her carrier and letting her jump on the ground where she gingerly pranced around the rocks, sniffing the light spattering of snow on the ground.

She and Gus stepped away, hopefully over the supernatural barrier, and not a moment too soon - Wavelry’s eyes glowing red once again.

“Well, I guess I’ll figure out this Latin pronunciation on my own.” She tried to sound flippant, but her heart was pounding out of its chest. This was it, it was do or die - she was either going to save Waverly or she wasn’t. She didn’t even want to think about what might happen if this didn’t work and she desperately hoped that Wynonna had been successful at breaking Dolls out of prison, at least then she’d have a back up plan.

She took a deep breath and began reading from the paper in front of her.

**Regna terrae, cantata Deo, psallite Cernunnos,  
Regna terrae, cantata Dea psallite Aradia.**

The sky darkened, and thunder rumbled in the distance- definitely not normal for mid- December. Her heart pounded impossibly harder, and she tried to keep her voice steady.

**Caeli Deus, Deus terrae,  
Humiliter majestati gloriae tuae supplicamus  
Ut ab omni infernalium spirituum potestate,  
Laqueo, and deceptione nequitia,**

It was almost pitch black now, and she could feel Gus shifting nervously beside her. Waverly’s eyes glowed red in the darkness, calling her like a beacon, begging her to stop but she pressed forward, forcing her eyes back to her barely visible script.

**Omnis fallaciae, libera nos, dominates.  
Exorcizamus you omnis immundus spiritus**

Waverly screeched, the sound resonating in her very bones like nails on a chalk board. She couldn’t help but glance up to see Calamity Jane stalking around Waverly, back arched and tail held high.

**Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio,  
Infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,**

Lighting struck the ground beside them, and she jumped; Gus’s hand settled on her shoulders, grounding her, urging her on.

**Omnis and congregatio secta diabolica.  
Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, dominates,**

Calamity Jane hissed, and a spotlight of of sunlight shot through the clouds, it’s beam a blinding ray on Waverly’s face. The demon possessed girl collapsed to her knees, wrists straining against her chains. For a moment, she thought that perhaps it was over, perhaps the demon was out, but Wavery screeched again, eyes glowing impossibly redder. Her voice faltered, stumbling over the words.

**Ut coven tuam secura tibi libertate servire facias,  
Te rogamus, audi nos!  
Ut inimicos sanctae circulae humiliare digneris,  
Te rogamus, audi nos!**

She could feel the energy in the air, like a natural disaster was about to strike. A brutal wind whipped the loose hairs from her braid around her face and the cold bit through her jacket.

**Terribilis Deus Sanctuario suo,  
Cernunnos ipse truderit virtutem plebi Suae,  
Aradia ipse fortitudinem plebi Suae.  
Benedictus Deus, Gloria Patri,  
Benedictus Dea, Matri gloria!**

The energy was at a fever pitch now, Waverly was still kneeling on the ground, head thrown back to face the sky, sunlight streaming over her. Calamity Jane was stock still, staring Waverly down, fur on end from head to tail.

“What’s next?” Gus’s voice shouted above the roar of the wind.

“I don’t know!” She felt a tiny bit of hope drain out of her at the words. “This was all I had! It was supposed to work!"

“Maybe it just needs time!"

Normally, Nicole considered herself to be a pretty patient person, but this was trying even her limits. As the seconds ticked by with no change, she could feel her apprehension growing. There was definitely something going on, right? There was some sort of energy at work, it just wasn’t _doing_ anything.

_“Listen, Ladybug. The most important thing is that when the time comes, you take off the ring.”_

What if she hadn’t been hallucinating?

What if her grandmother had really appeared to her and offered her a solution.

She twisted the ring on her finger.

It was crazy.

Insane, even.

But then she was currently chanting Latin spells and hoping that her cat was going to help excorsize her demon possessed girlfriend, so could it really get any crazier?

Her fingers played with the metal of the ring before slipping it off. Carefully, she passed it and the papers to Gus before stepping forward.

“What are you doing?"

For the first time today, Gus sounded legitimately worried.

“Saving Waverly."

_At least, that's what she hoped she was doing._

The second she crossed the line, she could feel it. She could see it, too, the dark shadow that hovered within Waverly, that gripped her soul with an iron fist.

Waverly’s eyes shot towards her, red irises widening.

“What kind of magic has hidden you from me? Surely, not even a daughter of the Valley could stay concealed for so long."

She felt the sun warm her face, hot compared to the winter wind that whipped around them. Calamity Jane bounded to her, weaving her way around Nicole’s boots.

She had no idea what to say. Or do, for that matter.

Luckily, the words came to her, rising unbidden from her throat.

“There is magic in this world that even you don’t know, Apep. As old as you are, my people are older, and they crafted the safeguards against you long before you were created by some mismatch of spells and wizardry."

“And yet here I am. And even your familiar spirit cannot call down enough power to cast me out."

She felt a warmth blossom in her chest, sparking down to her finger tips.

“Perhaps you have been allowed to exist in this world too long."

“Perhaps, but it is not for you to decide."

“Isn’t it?"

She didn’t know where the words came from, or what they meant, but she could feel . . . something . . . inside her let loose, spiraling out of her, filling the air until it began to reverse the spin of the wind. The red eyes across from her filled with fear and the sun warmth bathing them both grew hotter still.

“Waverly?!” She called out desperately. “I know you’re in there!"

The shadow over Waverly faltered in its grip and Calamity Jane hissed from under her feet.

“Why would you risk everything for this mere mortal?!"

Despite it all, the demon’s voice was taunting.

“Waverly, listen to me! You have to fight it!"

Lightning crackled.

“Waverly, I love you!"

It was like snapping a tautly drawn cord.

Waverly gasped and the demon shot into the sky, the dark shadow speeding towards Nicole like a bullet.

She braced herself for an impact that never came, fully prepared to find herself possessed. Instead, the shadowy figure stopped half a inch away from her, disembodied voice shaking her eardrums until they ached.

“Silly girl, you don’t even know who you are! What you’re capable of! And you waisted it all on what? Love? You are just like your grandmother! You haven’t seen the last of me!"

Before her brain could process, the shadow was sucked into the wax figure, the painted on Santa face suddenly looking much more sinister.

She ran to Waverly, only to find the shorter girl unconscious, shallow breaths rising in her chest. As fast as her trembling fingers would allow, she undid the cuffs and pulled Waverly into her arms, two long strides carrying her across the boundary.

Gus looked as confused as she felt, but she still helped settle Waverly on the ground, gentle hands searching for injuries but finding none.

“What happened?” She questioned Nicole without looking up.

“I- I’m not sure."

“Guess we've all got family secrets then, huh?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but Waverly’s brown eyes were blinking up at the now clear sky.

“Nic?" Her voice was hoarse and exhausted, but it sounded like music in Nicole's ears.

“I’m right here, baby."

“Did you really use an ‘I love you’ line to get rid of a demon?"

Nicole nodded, unsure of how to respond.

“That is the cheesiest thing I have ever heard. You’re never living this down."

“I don’t think it’s any cheesier than telling your sister you love me to try and keep me from getting shot! But it’s true, I lo-“.

Waverly’s fingers pressed against her lips.

“Don’t say it. Not like this."

Nicole nodded again before leaning down to press her lips against Waverly’s.

Just because she couldn’t say it, didn’t mean she didn’t get to show it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and critiques are welcomed and encouraged!


	10. On the Road Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dolls is officially out of prison, but what's next in store? Boy band with Doc?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr - Jedifighterpilot2727

Wynonna was extremely grateful that it was hard to be a backseat driver on a motorcycle, because if it wasn’t she had a feeling that Dolls would be chewing her ass off right about now. She could feel his entire body tensing every time she took a turn; and, for the first time ever, she was glad he wasn’t more muscular - lest her ribs get crushed from how tightly he was squeezing her waist.

She wasn’t even going _that_ fast, geez.

She carefully weaved in and out of traffic, slightly surprised that she remembered where she was going. When Charlie had went over the map with her beforehand, she hadn’t really been paying great attention, and it wasn’t like she was that great at maps anyway. Maybe this whole ‘sober’ thing was good for something after all.

It didn’t take long for her to find the alleyway where Doc had parked the box truck, and she steered the bike up the ramp and killed the engine.

“Come on whiney baby, let’s get inside the cabin with Doc.”

She jumped down and slid the ramp up inside the truck.

“Go on, I’ll be just a second.” Dolls’ entire body was tense, and something told her it wasn't just from the ride over here.

She rolled her eyes.

“Sure, whatever, just make it snappy, ok? My sister’s still possessed, after all."

“Two seconds, I promise."

She glared at him one last time before she rounded the side of the truck and opened the passenger door, heaving herself inside.

“Wynonna? Were you unable to free Agent Dolls from the the government prison he was held captive in?"

Doc looked at her worriedly, his mustache twitching.

“No, he’s back there, he just ‘needed a minute’, whatever that means."

“Ah.” realization dawned on his face and she waited for him to elaborate, but he remained silent.

“Alright, I guess I should call Nicole, let her know we’re ok."

“I’m sure Officer Haught would be grateful to know that you’re still alive, no doubt she is worried sick after that speech you gave her last time you spoke."

“Let’s just hope she has some good news about Waverly."

She speed dialed the officer, quickly becoming antsy when Nicole didn’t answer immediately.

“Shit, she’s not answering.”

Her leg began to bounce up and down and she chewed at her cuticles.

“This is Officer Nicole Haught, Purgatory Sheriff’s Department, please leave your name and number after the beep and I’ll get back with you."

The electronic beep sounded like a chime of doom and Wynonna sighed.

“Hey, Haught-pants, hope you have a good reason for not answering your phone. And I certainly hope that my sister hasn’t killed you, or a demon hasn’t possessed you, or - point is, I can think of a lot of bad reasons why you wouldn’t be answering my call, and I hope you and Waverly are alright. Give me a call back when you get this. Oh and I broke Dolls out of of government prison. Kind of. It’s a long story, I’ll tell you when we get home. Please be ok, ok? I’ll see you in like 7 hours."

She hit the end call button and resisted the urge to throw her phone in frustration. The passenger side door opened and Dolls appeared, motioning her to scoot over.

“Scoot, Earp.”

He had taken off his dress shirt, and instead he was wearing only white tank top, muscles rippling in the midday sun.

Jesus Christ.

He also looked decidedly less stressed, and for that she was thankful.

“Doc,” Dolls leaned over Wynonna to offer his hand to the cowboy. ”Thanks for coming to get me."

“It was Wynonna who did most of the work - credit where credit is due."

“Still, thank you."

Doc tipped his hat. “My pleasure. Now is there a reason, that we are suddenly not in a rush to escape?"

“They let us go." Dolls said as if it were a simple answer.

"Pfft!!" Wynonna pulled her legs up to rest her feet on the dashboard in front of Dolls as Doc started up the truck. "Let us go? Let us go? They didn't let us go."

Dolls eyed her boots woth disdain.

"Uh, yeah they did. They pretty much said - 'there's the door, bye'."

"They did not! That's not how it- liar! Youre such a liar! I do something cool and badass and you can't even back me up!"

"Ok, ok, I misspoke. Wynonna here staged a magnificent rescue, and even if they hadn't let us go, we probably would have escaped."

She huffed.

“I mean, it’s not perfect, but I guess I’ll take it."

The truck lurched to a stop, coming within a hairsbreadth of the car in front of them.

“Should we really be letting him drive?” Dolls asked through gritted teeth.

“Nah, he’s gotta learn sometime, besides; he has a lot to make up for, so I’m sure he’ll drive fast to save Waverly."

“What does he have to make up for?"

“He shot Waverly."

Dolls leaned over Wynonna’s legs to glare at Doc.

“You shot Waverly?”

Doc looked over at that, his mustachioed face twisted in confusion.

“Why, I had no choice! She was obviously possessed by some sort of demon, and undoubtedly about to cause us great harm! I had no other choice! I’m sure you would have done the same, Agent Dolls, under similar circumstances."

“Red light!” Wynonna and Dolls screeched in unison, bracing themselves for impact. Doc stopped just in time, narrowly avoiding the taxi that sped through the intersection in front of them.

“See, riding with Doc is just like riding in a New York taxi, only surprisingly less smelly."

Dolls gave her one of his patented glares before crossing his arms and relaxing into his seat.

Thankfully, they made it out of the main city an onto the highway before anyone got a case of whiplash, and Doc turned up the radio - old country western blaring through the truck’s shitty speakers.

“Oh god, no, anything but this.” She pleaded, ears humming from the racket.

“Some old ranch hands used to listen to this in the field near the well where I was trapped. It is excellent music, the lyrics tell a wonderful story.” Doc adjusted his hat thoughtfully

“Yeah, Wynonna, don’t you like a little old school country? Conway? Loretta?” Dolls’ voice was teasing.

“Umm no, can’t we listen to some Kesha? Or Lady Gaga?"

“Nope, I think the vote is two to one! Country it is!”

She opened her mouth to protest, but Dolls reached for the volume knob, drowning her out.

God, she needed a drink.

\- - - - - - - - - -

Two hours later, and Doc and Dolls were two steps away from forming a cover band.

A horrible cover band that no one would listen to and would probably get you kicked out of your own mother’s garage , but they seemed enthusiastic about it, nonetheless.

**If you see me comin', better step aside  
A lotta men didn't, a lotta men died  
One fist of iron, the other of steel  
If the right one don't a-get you, then the left one will**

**You load sixteen tons, what do you get?  
Another day older and deeper in debt  
Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go  
I owe my soul to the company store.**

She couldn’t even say that their voices blended together, it was more like screeched simultaneously. As soon as the song tapered to an end, she twisted the knob counter clockwise as fast as it would go, casting the cabin into silence.

“Hey!”

She had never seen them so united.

“Yeah, sorry, I gotta pee."

“Just as well, it appears that our automobile could use some fuel.” Doc squinted at the gauges on the dashboard.

“There’s a gas station next exit.” Dolls offered.

“Perfect."

They made it to a pump with surprisingly little difficulty, and Wynonna waited rather impatiently for Doc to get out and let her by.

She practically ran to the less than sanitary bathroom, squatting awkwardly over the seat as she took care of business. She washed her hands quickly, careful to avoid any unnecessary splashing, and used what was left of her disintegrating aper towel to open the door.

She may not be a neat freak, but she still had standards. If she was going to catch some weird disease, it certainly wasn’t going to be from some shitty ass bathroom in the middle of nowhere.

She glanced out the front window’s of the store to see Doc and Dolls laughing it up as they pumped.

Geez.

Who the fuck decided they could be friends.

She rolled her eyes and headed to the self proclaimed ‘Beer Cave’. After scanning the shelves, she grabbed a forty of Miller and turned to the register only to turn back and grab another one too, because hey, they had a long trip in front of them.

By the time she made it back to the truck, Dolls was settled in the driver’s seat, and Doc was holding open the passenger door for her.

“What the hell is that?” Dolls demanded.

“Ummm, this is 5.9% alcohol by volume malt liquor.” She held it up Vanna White style. “Wrapped conveniently in a brown paper bag."

“We’re in a car."

“What? I’m not driving!” She twisted the cap off of her first bottle and took a long swig. “Besides, every drink I take ups your chances of surviving this trip by like 10%."

“Fine, just don’t spill it. I’d rather not get pulled over smelling like a brewery."

“Spill? Alcohol? Psshh, you obviously don’t know me, at all."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She fell asleep asleep sometime after she finished the second forty, right around the time the magnificent duo began crooning ‘Ring of Fire.'

Did she feel bad for drinking when Waverly desperately needed her help?

A little, but she was going to be sober again by the time they reached Purgatory anyway, and besides, the alcohol helped her sleep.

When she woke up four hours later, she immediately wished she had more alcohol.

How were these two not hoarse yet?

“Hate to break up the party guys, but maybe we should come up with a plan."

“Ah yes, to exorcize our dear Waverly.” Doc turned the radio volume down and her ears were eternally grateful.

“I’m really hoping you have some sort of Black Badge top secret book of demon exorcism spells somewhere, Dolls."

Dolls’ arm muscles tensed as his fingers curled tightly around the steering wheel.

“There are . . . several exorcism spells."

Her heart dropped at the hesitation in his voice.

“But?"

He looked over at her, pain written in his brown eyes.

“They aren’t always successful."

“What do you mean they aren’t always successful?!"

He glanced between her and the road.

“Waverly’s a strong girl. I’m sure it’ll work."

He pulled into Sheriff’s department parking lot and they clambered out of the truck, moving as quickly as their stiff joints and muscles allowed.

“Nicole!” Wynonna called out as soon as they were inside. Nedley stuck his head out of his office.

“If you’re looking for Haught and Waverly, they left here about two hours ago; think they were headed out to the Homestead. Your Aunt was with ‘em too.”

“Aarghh!!” Wynonna stomped her boot, shivering at the senseless tingling that made its way up her leg.

Dolls held up a finger.

“Hold up], gotta grab a few things.” He jogged back to the Black Badge office, only to return moments later with a black backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Alright, I think I have everything."

Nedley eyed them suspiciously.

“Anything going on I should now about?"

“Nah,” She waved a hand as nonchalantly as possible. “Just Earp stuff."

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about."

She chose to pretend like she didn’t hear his muttering, and limped back to the truck, Doc and Dolls in tow.

“I’m driving this time!” she declared, hopping into the driver’s seat. Doc shrugged and slid over to sit in the middle, leaving the passenger seat for Dolls.

They did NOT listen to country on the ride to the Homestead, opting instead for an uncomfortable radio silence, broken only by the grunts and squeaks of the truck as Wynonna drove it a little too roughly over the bumps and curves.

The delivery truck skidded to a stop behind Gus’s pickup, which was parked awkwardly in the middle of the driveway. She jumped out before the engine had fully died, eyes scanning for any sign of her sister.

Three figures were huddled around one of the deserted fence posts, right across from -

“Is that Santa?!"

“Wynonna!!!"

She quickly recognized the figure on the ground as Waverly, and the two huddled around her as Gus and Nicole. She jogged over, eyes widening as she saw Nicole’s cat meandering around in the snow. She felt like Nicole had told her about some sort of crazy plan, but surely she would have remembered if it involved a cat and Gus’ creepy santa figure.

“Wynonna!!” Nicole and Waverly were both screaming at her now, their voices carrying in the odd wind that whipped around them.

“Wynonna!! Shoot the Santa!! Shoot him with Peacemaker!!”

“Shoot Santa?!” She glanced at the figure, its glowing red eyes stopping her dead in her tracks.

“Whoa!” She did not remember Santa being _that_ creepy.

A black, malicious looking shadow began to separate itself from the figure as she fumbled for Peacemaker. Her finger curled around the trigger, and the boom of the shot rang out as she watched the bullet melt through the wax of Santa’s forehead. The telltale flaming pit opened up, sucking the demonic Christmas decoration into hell.

‘’What the hell was that?"

“Nicole exorcised the demon and put it into the Santa figure, it’s a long story.” Waverly’s voice was wobbly with exhaustion and Wynonna dropped to her knees by her baby sister, hands coming up to frame Waverly’s cheeks.

“You okay, Babygirl?"

“Thanks to Nicole, yes."

She looked up at the officer and saw that her brown eyes were heavy with darkness they’d seen. She pulled the taller woman into a hug.

“Thanks, for saving my baby sister."

Nicole’s hands came up to pat her back awkwardly.

“Hey, does this mean I don’t get the ‘If you fuck up, I’ll shoot you with my big ass gun' speech anymore?"

“Oh no, you’re definitely getting it. Just later, when I’ve had food and can be more threatening."

“Wynonna, quit squeezing her! She just got shot for pete’s sake!” Waverly protested.

“Right, sorry.” She pulled back and straightened the lapels on Nicole’s uniform, embarrassed at her sudden show of affection. She swiped at the tears on her cheeks.

“Alright, guys, give me a minute with Waverly okay?” Dolls’ request was gentle, but she could see Nicole’s heckles rise.

“What for?"

Dolls held up his hands defensively.

“I just want to check and make sure everything is clear, demon possession can leave some nasty after affects."

She didn’t _like_ it, but she understood it, and she gently pulled Nicole towards where Doc was standing a few yards away.

“I’m gonna go get a fire started inside, wouldn’t want Waverly to catch a cold after all this.” Gus offered, walking off in the direction of the Homestead before anyone could reply.

Nicole’s eyes never left Waverly as Dolls shone a light in each eye and then proceeded to ask questions in a hushed voice.

God, how did she not see how smitten these two were earlier? She shook her head. She could be so oblivious sometimes.

A few tense minutes passed before Dolls waved them over.

“Everything checks out, I don’t know how you did it, Haught, but you did. Maybe you’re a better fit for Black Badge than I thought.”

Nicole smiled tiredly before bending down to scoop Waverly up in her arms.

“Nic, I’m so tired."

“I know, Wave, I know. Let’s get you to bed."

“Don’t leave me."

“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” Nicole leaned to kiss Waverly’s forehead before marching towards the homestead.

Wynonna watched them from a distance, a smile settling on her face.

She might still have a shit ton of Revenants to send to hell, but at least she had her sister back.

And in her book, that counted for a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about this one guys, it feels choppy - let me know what you think.


	11. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get some answers about Nicole's origins, and our favorite couple has 'The Talk'.
> 
> . . . 
> 
> JK, you wish. But we do get some fluff!!

Nicole Haught had had some pretty weird dreams in her life.

There was that one time in second grade, that a kid had called her dad a ‘donut eating cop’, and she’d had a dream that her dad turned into a donut, rolling around in a patrol car that looked suspiciously like his favorite coffee thermos.

Then there was the time during her sleep deprived days at the academy that she dreamed she was called out to a mob scene, only to discover that the mob was really a bunch of zombies that wanted to eat her brains.

Neither of those even came close to the dream that she had the night of Waverly’s exorcism.

She had carried her ‘girlfriend’ upstairs and barely had time to strip out of her uniform and get Waverly out of her boots before she collapsed into bed. They were exhausted, both mentally and physically, and frankly, she was surprised she made it as far as she did without- One, dropping Waverly, or Two, falling down the stairs.

Waverly’s body was warm and soft, and it curled around hers instinctively when Nicole crawled under the covers beside her. Mindful of their various wounds, she wrapped the other girl up as tightly as she could in a bear hug, The side of Waverly’s face pressed almost painfully against her still bruised chest. Her last thought before she drifted off was that Waverly’s hair was tickling her nose, but sleep over-took her before she could brush it away.

The first few hours, she didn’t dream at all, her brain was simply too exhausted. Slowly though, like the soft beginning of a song, she began to see an open field, yellow flowers growing in bursts around it.

Figures bagan to come from ever direction, waltzing through the tall grass, some of them picking flowers as they came. It was a long time before she realized that she too was standing in the field, a flowing dress cascading past her knees, the grass tickling her bare feet.

One of the figures came towards her, and she recognized her grandmother, or at least the younger version of her grandmother that she remembered seeing in the bathroom mirror at the station.

Instead of confusion, she felt peace.

“Ladybug, I’m so glad you could finally join us."

“Who exactly is ‘us’?"

“Oh, sweetie, I can’t give you the answer to that, I can’t give you the answer to anything, really - I can only point you in the right direction."

“Nan, I don’t understand.” She should have been panicked at the events that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, but there was no sense of urgency tugging at her chest.

“I know, and that’s my fault, for not telling you the truth while I was alive. Waverly will help you."

“What does Waverly have to do with this?"

“Her family and ours have been tied together for thousands of years."

She searched her memory for any recollection of family history that included the Earps and failed.

“The Earps? I’ve never heard anything about them."

“You need to read my diary, that’s all I can tell you for now. This is the last time for a while that I will be able to speak to you like this, it requires too much energy."

“Nan-"

“Read the diary, Ladybug."

Her grandmother pulled her into a tight hug, and she closed her eyes, putting aside her questions to relish the feeling of the older woman’s arms around her. The pressure of the hug faded away, and she could sense the field and the people disappearing.

When she opened her eyes, Waverly was leaning over her, staring, brown eyes tracking across her face.

“Hey.” She whispered softly, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind Waverly’s ear.

“Hey.”

Carefully, she shifted positions, a groan slipping out as her bruised chest protested.

“Are you okay? Where’re you going?” Waverly’s voice was panicked as soft hands came up to pat her shoulders - almost as if trying to ensure that she didn’t leave the bed.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I just -“ She sighed as she settled on her left shoulder. “Ugh, just kinda sore."

She pulled the quilt up over them and her hand dropped to Waverly’s waist, slipping under her shirt to draw circles in the soft skin there.

“Are _you_ okay?"

Waverly seemed to ponder the question before nodding.

“As good as I can be, I guess, just tired."

“Sleep.” She urged, squeezing the hip under her hand.

The other girl shook her head.

“I can’t - I keep having nightmares."

She hummed sympathetically.

“The demon?"

Waverly shook her head, fingers caressing the bruise on Nicole’s sternum.

“I keep dreaming that you didn’t wear your vest, that when Willa shot you, the bullet went right through your heart. There was blood everywhere, and you -you just- just-"

“Hey! Hey!” She pulled Waverly’s head into her, ignoring the tightness in the ribs as she tangled her fingers in soft brown locks, chin tapping the top of Waverly’s head as she spoke.

“I’m okay, I promise.” Silence settled over them, Waverly’s breath stuttering in the air between them as Nicole massaged her scalp gently. She thought about mentioning her own dream, but decided there would be time for that later.

“Remember when I was dressing your gunshot wound that day - your first gunshot wound - and you told me that if I ever got a funny feeling that I should wear my vest?”

Waverly nodded against her shoulder.

“You saved my life, Waves."

There were tears in Waverly’s eyes when she finally looked up.

“I guess you returned the favor, huh?"

Nicole smirked.

“Yeah, well, we’re even now, so no more almost getting killed!"

“I won’t if you won’t.” Waverly giggled, leftover tears glistening on her cheeks.

“Deal.” She leaned forward to press their lips together quickly, not trusting herself to keep it chaste when every fiber of her being was screaming at her to show Waverly just how much she meant to her.

“Do you wanna try and sleep? I can hold you, sing to you . . . “ her fingers danced along Waverly’s cheekbone. “Anything you need."

“I _need_ to take a shower. I feel gross."

“You don’t _look_ gross. Being exorcised did a a lot for your complexion.” She teased, heart soaring as Waverly smiled.

“Are you saying I shouldn’t wear the demon-possessed look more often?"

“Not one of your best looks, no . . . that green dress on the other hand, you can wear that anytime. Still kinda disappointed that I didn’t get to take it off of you. ” She winked and Waverly blushed.

“Shower with me?"

She tossed the covers off of them, wincing at the chilly air.

“I could definitely use a shower, coming face to face with a demon leaves you feeling kinda icky."

She extended her hand to Waverly, who used it to pull herself out of bed, testing her weight on her injured leg before leading the way to the upstairs bathroom.

“Sorry.” Waverly’s voice was quiet.

“For what?” She turned on the water, grateful that Wynonna had begged Dolls into installing a gigantic new water heater.

“I just had to touch the goo. I mean if I hadn’t then none of this would’ve happened."

“Well, you know what they say; ‘Curiosity killed the cat.’” Waverly winced and she continued. “‘But satisfaction brought it back.’"

“ _You_ brought me back."

She took a moment to stare into Waverly’s green rimmed pupils.

“Yeah, well, you could call me satisfaction."

Waverly rolled her eyes.

“Shower first, innuendo later."

Steam was billowing over the top of the shower curtain, and the mirror was beginning to fog up, but they were both frozen, unsure, exactly, of how to proceed.

“So.” She drummed her fingers on the sink.

“So.” Waverly repeated nervously.

“Never thought the first time I saw you naked would be like this."

Waverly’s neck reddened.

“If you want me to wait outside, I can-"

“No!” Waverly’s fingernails dug into her arm. “Stay.” Her grip loosened. “Please."

“Okay. I’ll stay.”

“I mean it’s just two chicks, getting naked together, right?"

She felt the chuckle bubble up in her chest.

“Right."

Waverly still looked nervous.

“Wave, it’s not gonna be weird, I promise."

“It’s just, I mean I don’t think I’ve ever gotten naked around . . . someone and you know . . . _not_ had sex."

Oh.

Oh.

_That’s_ why she was so nervous.

Nicole took a deep breath.

“Okay, so I am dyin’ to show you just how much I care for you. And I know that it’s somethin’ we both probably need after the crazy week we’ve had.” She could see Waverly’s throat bob, and she reached out a hand to grab Waverly’s, twining their fingers together. “But when we finally get to make love, I want it to be special, like we talked about. Not when we’re still tired and hungry and we haven’t really _talked_ about anything that’s going on. I mean, there has to be at least one candle."

Waverly giggled.

“So if you wanna shower together, then we can just shower. It doesn’t have to be anything else."

“Okay.” Waverly’s voice was soft, but her shoulders straightened as if a weight had been lifted.

“I don’t know why you’re nervous, I had you outta your shirt like five minutes after meeting you."

Waverly smacked her arm.

“What? It’s true! I mean I barely said ‘hello’ and then you started strippin’!"

“I had beer on my shirt!"

“Sure, sure!”

“Maybe we can just turn around and strip and then you can get in and I’ll follow."

“Okay.” She moved to turn but then stopped. “Are you sure you can make it without getting stuck?”

Waverly smacked her arm again.

“What? It’s a valid question!"

“Just strip, Haught."

She smiled wide enough for her dimples to pop and turned, quickly divesting herself of her tank top and boy shorts before stepping into the shower. The water was hot, too hot, and she twisted the spigot knob colder before moving under the spray.

The heat felt wonderful on her tired muscles, and she resisted the urge to sink to the floor and soak, instead raising her face into the spray of water, eyes closed against the barrage. She was a little nervous about Waverly seeing her naked, not too nervous, she knew she looked pretty good, but still, getting naked in front of someone was a big deal - sex or no sex. She didn’t have much time to muse on it, the curtain move behind her, and she gave Waverly a moment to settle before she turned around.

“Wow, your ass looks even better naked.”

The shorter girl was wearing a cheeky grin and nothing else, and Nicole had to fight to keep her mouth from watering, even as she blushed from Waverly’s compliment.

Just because they weren’t going to _do_ anything, didn’t mean she wasn’t going to enjoy her first time seeing the woman naked.

“Have you been checking out my ass?” she accused.

“Are you saying you haven’t been checking out mine?"

“Mm, guilty."

She took a moment to take Waverly in.

Despite the circumstances, she was breathtaking.

Her brown hair was a mess, and her face was streaked with dirt. She skimmed quickly over her chest and abs, knowing she could easily get herself into trouble there. The bandage on her leg had been removed, and there was a bit of dried blood on the suture line, a purplish bruise blossoming from the site. She was lucky it was just a graze, or the damage could have been much worse.

She glanced at Waverly’s wrists and winced when she saw the abrasions circling them. She snagged one of them in her hand, and gently traced the marks with her fingers.

“Hey,” Waverly’s voice was soft. “It’s not your fault. You kept me from hurting people. Hurting you. I wouldn’t be very happy with myself right now if I was allowed to hurt you. Besides, my sister shot you, so I think we’re even."

She pulled the Waverly’s wrist to her lips and laid gentle kisses on the wounds.

“C’mere."

She tugged Waverly closer and turned her around so they were both facing away from the stream of water. Carefully, she snagged the shampoo bottle from the caddy and poured an excessive amount of shampoo int her palm. Once Waverly’s hair was wet, she lathered it up, the ridiculous amount of suds easily slipping out the tangles.

She took her time, enjoying the way that Waverly relaxed against her. They spent the rest of the shower in much the same way, washing each other, finding new cuts and bruises that they didn’t know they had. It was sensual, but comforting, and by the end she felt relaxed, if still tired.

They dried off quickly, the chill seeping back into the room now that the hot shower was off, and snuck back across the hall to Waverly’s room.

She dressed the wound on Waverly’s leg, sparing a thought to how unfortunate it was that she was becoming a practiced hand at taking care of bullet wounds.

“You’re getting way too good at that."

“I was just thinking the same thing."

“Maybe next adventure we can make it through without getting shot."

She smiled up at the brunette, almost leaning forward to steal a kiss before she remembered her compromising state of undress.

“You think I could borrow some clothes?"

“Oh!” Waverly’s face lit up. “I actually have the perfect thing!"

She watched as Waverly hopped off the bed and bounced to the closet, trying desperately not to notice any, well, bouncing. The shorter girl reached for a box and handed it over, smiling shyly.

“I was actually going to give it as kind of a gag gift for Christmas, but I think you can open it early, considering the circumstances.”

She tore through the brightly colored wrapping paper, momentarily deterred by the tricky tape job. She lifted the lid to find a dark blue t-shirt with a white unicorn head, complete with rainbow colored horn.

She snorted a laugh.

“Oh my god, Wave, it’s perfect! Thank you!"

Her gaze shifted from the shirt back to Waverly, taking in her wet, stringy hair and the way her teeth captured her bottom lip between them. . .

She cleared her throat.

“You’re still not getting your present til Christmas though."

She hurried to put some distance between them, pulling the shirt over her head and taking the offered underwear and sweatpants.

“I don’t think anything could make me as happy as seeing you with that bullet proof vest on."

“You just saw me naked, and you’re still talking about that bullet proof vest? I think I might be offended."

“Considering I only got to see you naked because of the vest? I dunno, it’s a tie for best look."

“You’re lucky you’re adorable."

“I’m also starving.” The now fully dressed woman pouted.

“Want me to go see if I can find us something? Or are you ready to deal with the gang?"

“Might as well get it over with, less questions for you to answer."

She pressed a kiss to Waverly’s forehead and reached for her hand.

“After you, M’lady."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I really hope you guys enjoyed this, cause personally I thought it was adorable! We will get some answers soon, and they'll have the 'define the relationship' conversation - all in good time! Also, there will probably (read:definitely) be SMUT at some point in the near future, so prepare yourselves -although I will warn you before hand if for some reason that's not your thing.
> 
> Comments are the way to a writer's heart!
> 
> Also, come follow me on Tumblr - JediFighterPilot2727


End file.
